Exclusive – Mancini insists he never lost belief Man City could win title

City fell eight points behind near neighbours Manchester United at the beginning of April after defeat to Arsenal, leading the Italian to publicly declare the title race was finished.

But, after seeing his side claw back that gap and clinch the championship on goal difference with a dramatic final day victory over QPR, Mancini insists, privately, he was always confident in his side.

Asked if he ever gave up on the title, Mancini, speaking to Keys & Gray, said: “No, never. I always thought positive. I believed we could win the title because we had another six games and in that moment it was important to take pressure off our team and put pressure on United.”

City had led the Premier League for much of the season, before a dip in form in March allowed United to seize the initiative, and Mancini claims his side are worthy champions.

“I think we deserved to win the title because we were on top for 28 games. If you are not a good team, you can’t stay there for six months,” he said.

“I think Manchester City now is in a good way. It is not easy because we have to fight every year against top teams like United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham but we have worked well in the last two years and if we continue to work like this we can have a big future.

“I am very happy because in England it is the best championship in Europe. The Premier League is a fantastic league and I am very happy to be here.”

City will now turn their attention to Champions League glory next season but Mancini believes he will need to strengthen his squad to achieve success in Europe's elite competition.

“We need to improve,” he continued. “The Champions League is a very difficult competition, you need to be lucky and in good form in February, but I think we can do well next year.”

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I think we deserved to win the title because we were on top for 28 games